Blogs

Stella Ediagbonya BSRRT Sept. 16,2013
I have been out of a job and now looking for a position as a Respiratory Therapist. I am glad there is a page on AARC web site to talk about issues that matter to Respiratory Therapists or AARC members. I believe there are others out there who are having problems finding a job.. We all went to accredited schools with good certificates but finding a job can become an issue. I have seen some Respiratory Therapist who believed no one care for RTs and wished that they had study Nursing instead of Respiratory Therapy. Lets look out for RTs. If any one have any good advice on a location of hire, please indicate.

I agree with everything that has been said here. I personally find it helpful to review a person's Facebook, Twitter, etc. so that I can have an idea of what to expect. As an instructor, I strongly encourage my students to keep tight reign on their social media pages just in case an employer will look them up. As a "networker" I really appreciate social media. It gives me an opportunity to show that I am staying up to date with what's going on in the RT world, because I can follow Shawna's information (for example)and be able to ask her about specific projects she may post on each page. I think it's the same principle as telling my students to have a question ready about the employer during an interview. It shows that you have done the research and are interested in the facility. Things like Facebook and Twitter give me the same opportunity when I network. I am also very addicted to my social media and I spend a lot of time trying to keep up, but in the end it's definitely worth it.

Shawna, et al add many wonderful points regarding social media. However, social media is vehicle, not the vessel. Connecting is vitally important, but does not absolve you from striving to be the best RT around. Especially when you are trying to look for a job in a hot market. All the more reason to have your RRT, BS degree or higher and as many credentials as you can possibly obtain. People have asked me why I have all the NBRC credentials (except sleep - I am a pro at this). I have chosen this to advance my knowledge of the field, but also for job security. You never know what the future holds. I like most went into healthcare because it was a very stable job market. While I still believe this to be true - it has changed.
PT and perfusionist have gone through some of the same changes. In fact, I was discourage from going to perfusionist school back in the early 90's because the market was saturated. I'm so glad that perfusionist told me to go to RT school.
This hot market with few job in some areas does weed some of the lower performing RTs out. Which overall is a good thing. Please don't hate me for this comment. We have had it good for a while now. Very few positions pay as well as ours for the amount of education required. As Rick mentioned he has a BS prepared RRT doing a job that requires a high school diploma. Many professions are moving in this direction of post graduate work in order to get the job your dream job.
There are jobs out there but you may have to move. Social media can help, but it also could hurt. I use both Linkedin and Twitter, however I do my best to separate Linkedin as my "professional" life and Twitter as my "personal" life. But, this is hard. As a director, I never used social media to check out an application as to me that is "judging a book by its cover". Many misconceptions can be drawn from social media, especially if you don't truly know the person or were not prevue to the details of the comment or picture. Many employers do use social media to conduct a through interview of a candidate. So, be careful!
Respiratory Care is a wonderful profession with many opportunities. Hang in there if you are looking for the perfect one! Evidence is clear that if there is not opportunity for you right now - there will be one soon. If you are forced to take a less than desirable RT job - in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. , “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." If we all do this - no one will have a problem being employed for the rest of their life - with or without social media.

Keith’s point about using social media to create drama brought to mind an article I read on dealing with difficult people in the workplace. The author pointed out that when someone is creating drama they aren’t focused on their mission. If you’re focused on accomplishing your goals you don’t have time to create drama because it wastes time, distracts you (and those around you) and delays the accomplishment of your goal. So if you really want to accomplish something you don’t have time for drama! I’ve thought about this several times since reading it and find myself reacting differently to “drama” these days. When I see a coworker at the center of a drama I now know that they are not focusing on their job or doing their best to create a good patient experience, and that’s bad news for the entire hospital.
It’s these folks who also take their grievances outside the workplace and use social media to continue their drama. And as a hiring manager I do check social media sites to gain information about what the type of person who is hoping to work with us. I’m with Garry: if I see drama (negative behavior, meanness, inappropriate content, etc.) I tear up the application. I don’t want that type of behavior in my workplace. And yes, I know that they won’t necessarily act like that in the workplace, but why would I take a chance…especially when there are so many wonderfully qualified, focused candidates available?
And that brings me to networking. Social media has a huge capability for connecting us with those we don’t/can’t connect with face-to-face. But it’s just another tool in your arsenal when you’re trying to get a job. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even AARConnect won’t get you the job, but they are useful in getting the information you want to put out circulating, and maybe that information will come to the attention of the right person. That’s what will get you the job…the personal touch and the “awesome networking strategies” that Shawna and Garry mentioned.
I speak from personal experience. I was out of a job about 5 years ago and used Facebook and LinkedIn to get the word out that I was available. But I also knew that nothing could beat personal contact with peers and others in the medical field who could possibly provide me with a lead or an introduction. I called and met with many of my local peers and clarified the type of position I was looking for. I traveled across the state to our MSRC fall conference and shook a lot of hands, handed out some “hot off the printer” business cards with my contact info, and talked with anyone and everyone about some of the projects I had worked on, what I had accomplished, and what I could offer a new organization. I also pulled money out of my dwindling savings account to travel across the country to the AARC Congress where I repeated that same process.
And in the end it was word of mouth that connected me with a great new job at a growing organization. I found out about a great position from a colleague, and when I arrived for an interview the person in HR stated, “Oh yes, we’ve heard a lot of good things about you”. When I toured the RT department the therapists already had a lot of information about me, and it was clear that they had received that information from others in the field.
That experience was a great lesson on networking. Since that time I’ve been very conscientious about staying involved at both the state and national levels. That involvement has provided me the opportunity to build and maintain relationships with so many amazing therapists. If/When a job opens up in my department I will have a great pool of familiar faces to choose from. And if, knock on wood, I find myself out looking for a different position, you can bet I know just who to contact!

Shawna and Garry are spot on when they say that social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can be very useful tools in helping to identify professionalism in an individual. Shawna stated that "Your profile can be viewed as professional (or not) based on your picture, the amount of detail (or absurd lack of), and even your connections" and I couldn't agree more. For example, when I see a LinkedIn profile where the user's name is written entirely in lower case, it screams out to me that this individual is NOT a professional. The same is true when I see, as Garry mentioned, someone using any of the social media sites to create drama or rant about what jerks their co-workers are. Make no mistake...prospective employers are looking at your social media sites and we are formulating opinions based upon what we see. Nice blog, Shawna (and nice follow up, Garry)!

Shawna,
Your blog couldn't have come at a better time. I have read in several publications the difficulty that many healthcare professionals are experiencing in terms of finding a position. While RTs are on the list, we are absolutely dwarfed by nurses with the mismatch of job seekers and available positions. Like you, I get daily updates from LinkeIn and it's just become basically an e-job board and nothing more. What we, as RTs, get from the AARC, state societies, and districts/chapters is so much more. If any of us wait until we're out of a job to start to work on networking, education, obtaining an advanced credential, the horse is out that barn. What I've found throughout my career, again thanks to the AARC and my state society, is a wealth of opportunities to get engaged, make new contacts, and market myself as I help others. Having spent virtually all of my career in Pennsylvania, I got to know hundreds of RTs throughout the state. While I wasn't looking for a position except for a couple of times, these contacts proved invaluable when I was looking for a protocol, an HR policy, or advice on understanding technology. And the best news was that it didn't cost anything. As regards reviewing resumes, particularly in tough economic times, I ignore the grade point average and focus on what has the applicant done that differentiates them from everyone else. For those who have volunteered on a committee, performed PFTs at the mall, helped their department represent our profession during RC week-these are the indicators of someone who I can foresee will go above and beyond and act as a true professional. As to use of social media, I always investigate this, because it's another opportunity for the RT to demonstrate professionalism. I love to read about RTs having fun on vacation, celebrating other's accomplishments and other positive arenas. I must admit that I am highly disappointed when I see childish, selfish, or simply negative e-behavior on the social media sites. If I see this once, I tear up the application. I'm looking forward to seeing more posts on this, because as you've noted, this area is a burgeoning one.